Laptop vs Desktop, Your Preference


Bartram

Bartram

Brand HBCUbian
Well it's that time folks, time to purchase a new computer. The laptop is struggling mightily these days what with the 20 GB HD and the first generation USB and no Firewire other than PCI adapter.

What's your preference, laptop or desktop and why? The laptop limits you in terms of HD space and all, but it has been very convenient to be able to take it with me on business and not miss a beat with high speed access almost anywhere I go.
 
I think it depends on the purpose of the computer. Nowadays you can get laptops with 80+ GB HDs, USB and Firewire ports.

For me, a laptop is the way to go. It allows me to get online in a variety of places and I have access to all of my files wherever I go. Being where I am in my academic career, the laptop is the way to go for me.
 

If I did not have a laptop from my job, I would have one at home. The reason that I have a desktop vs a laptop at home are the reasons that you state - slower disk drive and smaller disk drives. Newer laptops are closing that gap.
 
You can also buy an external hdd so that's not really a limitation. I dont think I'll ever allow myself to be strapped down by a desktop again.
 
silentrage said:
I think it depends on the purpose of the computer. Nowadays you can get laptops with 80+ GB HDs, USB and Firewire ports.

For me, a laptop is the way to go.
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I love my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop. :nod2: It has 80 GB and I love the 15 1/2 wide screen which displays a sharp image for dvds I watch. I didn't want to be tied down with a desktop either.
 
Thats a hard one man... I'll have to just say BOTH.
I have both and I really need them both...

Laptop (Dell Latitude 800) is my business baby...
It's loaded -- 80Gg HDD, 2 Gigs of RAM, DVD-RW, Pentium M 2.0Ghz, 17 / 15'' screen... so she's everything I need in a portable desktop, BUT I don't put all my eggs in one basket.

Just two weeks ago my HDD on my Desktop crashed -- well it was ok because I always back transfer my docs to my laptop for redundancy... so I just basically put all my stuff on a DVD and loaded it back to my desktop. Thats the one of the main reasons I have to have both...

The other is, even though I have a 80Gg HDD on my Dell... I need to have more... I play around with too much movie editing, music editing, etc.... plus I have a huge MP3 and movie collection on my extra HDD (180Gg) thats attached to my desktop. I don't want to run the risk of loading some crappy software onto my laptop and it blows a freakin' fuse -- then I'm pissed.

Plus I have nieces and nephews that use my desktop -- they dont touch the Dell!
 
SlickPartna said:
Thats a hard one man... I'll have to just say BOTH.
I have both and I really need them both...

Laptop (Dell Latitude 800) is my business baby...
It's loaded -- 80Gg HDD, 2 Gigs of RAM, DVD-RW, Pentium M 2.0Ghz, 17 / 15'' screen... so she's everything I need in a portable desktop, BUT I don't put all my eggs in one basket.

Just two weeks ago my HDD on my Desktop crashed -- well it was ok because I always back transfer my docs to my laptop for redundancy... so I just basically put all my stuff on a DVD and loaded it back to my desktop. Thats the one of the main reasons I have to have both...

The other is, even though I have a 80Gg HDD on my Dell... I need to have more... I play around with too much movie editing, music editing, etc.... plus I have a huge MP3 and movie collection on my extra HDD (180Gg) thats attached to my desktop. I don't want to run the risk of loading some crappy software onto my laptop and it blows a freakin' fuse -- then I'm pissed.

Plus I have nieces and nephews that use my desktop -- they dont touch the Dell!
Click to expand...

yeah in your case I can see having both. you are a special case. No way you can do without a desktop. A laptop is necessary also.

Looks like the mobility of a laptop and the advance in technology that gives you virtual desktop performance is the overwhelming clincher here,,, Laptops 4-5, desktop 0-1 in a landslide so far.

Now Dell is a good laptop/product, but has anyone ventured to other brands? I have an HP that I bought, but I bought totally expecting it not to be reliable and with the minimal features just to get me through a TDY stent. Are there any brands you would buy over Dell?
 
SlickPartna said:
Just two weeks ago my HDD on my Desktop crashed -- well it was ok because I always back transfer my docs to my laptop for redundancy... so I just basically put all my stuff on a DVD and loaded it back to my desktop. Thats the one of the main reasons I have to have both...

The other is, even though I have a 80Gg HDD on my Dell... I need to have more... I play around with too much movie editing, music editing, etc.... plus I have a huge MP3 and movie collection on my extra HDD (180Gg) thats attached to my desktop. I don't want to run the risk of loading some crappy software onto my laptop and it blows a freakin' fuse -- then I'm pissed.
Click to expand...

Good point. You should have a back-up plan no matter what type of machine you have. My laptop, an iBook, has a 60 gig HD. I have an external drive that I back-up to on a weekly basis. My weekly back-up copies my entire OS. Therefore, if my computer crashes I have everything (applications, files, photos, music, etc.) on my external drive. I also do a daily back-up of selected files to a key drive (I'm a little paranoid about backing-up my files since I'm writing my disseration).
 
Bartram said:
yeah in your case I can see having both. you are a special case. No way you can do without a desktop. A laptop is necessary also.

Looks like the mobility of a laptop and the advance in technology that gives you virtual desktop performance is the overwhelming clincher here,,, Laptops 4-5, desktop 0-1 in a landslide so far.

Now Dell is a good laptop/product, but has anyone ventured to other brands? I have an HP that I bought, but I bought totally expecting it not to be reliable and with the minimal features just to get me through a TDY stent. Are there any brands you would buy over Dell?
Click to expand...

I have a HP Pavilion. 60 gig hard drive with a 17 inch screen. I call him, "big boy". It has a full keyboard, something important to me. I wanted a dell, but when I was shopping for a laptop, the largest screen from dell was 15.4 inches.
 
cat daddy said:
I have a HP Pavilion. 60 gig hard drive with a 17 inch screen. I call him, "big boy". It has a full keyboard, something important to me. I wanted a dell, but when I was shopping for a laptop, the largest screen from dell was 15.4 inches.
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Dayum..you do have a "big boy" !! That sounds larger than the lil tray you fold down on planes. :shh:
 
Desktop for me, even though the laptop is more convienient and all, beside music and photo editing, i would need my desktop to run very intensive graphing SW i.e. AutoCAD and the likes.....
 
I'm a severe proponent of laptops Bart. :|

I have both a Dell and an HP. I have Linux/WinNt/Win95 on the elder Dell and Win2K on the newer HP. Both serve their purpose and do it well. :)

W/ the advances in external USB HDDs, space should not be an issue as well as speed, quality, etc.

If mobility is your desire, I'd strongly suggest a laptop. I can still plug my guys into that big 27" monitor that I have @ home and not miss a beat. Also, the capability to access external networks while driving or out in the "wild" somewhere w/ the wireless card is unremarkable. :)
 
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